Location. The glass fronted, eight floor Arcotel Velvet Berlin hotel is located in the arty Mitte district of Berlin, Germany, surrounded by bars, restaurants and galleries. The hotel is 400 metres from Friedrichstadtpalast cultural centre, New Synagogue and the Spree River. Berlin's Museum Island and Friedrichstrasse shopping district are within one kilometre, while Tiergarten Park is one and a half kilometres away.
Hotel Features. Architect Harald Schreiber blended warm colours with clean lines and glass walls in designing the Arcotel Velvet Berlin hotel, which opened in 2004.

Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, the Lutter and Wegner restaurant fuses German and Austrian cuisine. Wine bottles line the walls of the wood floored restaurant, decked out with maroon leather chairs and maplewood tables. The heated terrace makes alfresco dining possible year round. Cocktails and antipasti are served in the Velvet Bar, with its red and black leather, sheer drapes and Venetian chandeliers.

Meeting rooms are available for small groups and there is complimentary high speed Internet access in public areas.

Guestrooms. The Arcotel Velvet Berlin hotel has 85 glass fronted rooms. The white walls contrast with dark wood furnishings and red carpets, while sheer curtains offer privacy. All of the contemporary rooms are equipped with dial up Internet access (surcharge), flatscreen televisions, minibars, safes, DVD/CD players and air conditioning.

Expert Tip. Next to the hotel, the Tacheles Cultural Centre is an institution with such a history and reputation among Berlin's artists that the East German regime never dared close it. Today it has kept its communist era scruffiness as a symbol of artistic resistance. The centre houses studios, a theatre and a cinema. [less]